Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™ LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

President Trump warns Venezuela's new leader must cooperate | Midday News Bulletin 5 January 2026

SBS NEWS OK AUDIO 16X9 DAY.png

SBS NEWS OK AUDIO 16X9 DAY Source: SBS News

President Trump says Venezuela's new leader will pay a "big price" if she refuses to co-operate; Advocates call for a national donor register to help access genetic and medical history; And in tennis, Novak Djokovic cuts ties with the Professional Tennis Players Association.


Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.

In this bulletin;

  • President Trump says Venezuela's new leader will pay a "big price" if she refuses to co-operate;
  • Advocates call for a national donor register to help access genetic and medical history;
  • And in tennis, Novak Djokovic cuts ties with the Professional Tennis Players Association.

President Donald Trump says Venezuela's new leader will pay a "big price" if she refuses to co-operate with the United States, following the military operation to remove President Nicolas Maduro.

US forces attacked Caracas in the early hours of Saturday, bombing military targets and capturing Mr Maduro and his wife.

In a telephone interview with The Atlantic, Mr Trump says Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, could pay a big price "probably bigger than Maduro" if she doesn't support his administration's goals, including opening access to U-S investment in Venezuela's oil reserves.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has toned down Mr Trump’s assertions that the US plans to run Venezuela.

He says the US will use control of the South American country’s oil industry to force policy changes.

"Well, I've explained once again. I'll do it one more time. What we are running is the direction that this is going to move moving forward. And that is we have leverage. This leverage we are using and we intend to use. We started using already. You can see where they are running out of storage capacity. In a few weeks, they're going to have to start pumping oil unless they make changes."

The US Senate is due to vote next week on whether to block further military action against Venezuela without congressional approval.

The Senate's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, says there are still many questions left unanswered over Mr Trump's strategy.

"We have learned through the years when America tries to do regime change and nation-building in this way, the American people pay the price in both blood and in dollars."

The leaders of Denmark and Greenland are urging US President Donald Trump to stop threatening to take over Greenland, after he repeated his desire to do so in an interview with The Atlantic magazine.

President Trump told the magazine the US needs Greenland for defence reasons.

It comes a day after the US captured the President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and the president said Washington would run the Latin American country.

This raised concerns the US would try to forcibly take the Danish territory Greenland.

The prime minister of Greenland, Jens-Fredereik Neilson said in a statement posted to Instagram on Sunday that the US should stop its threats against a close ally.

"We have been a close and loyal friend of the United States for generations. We have stood shoulder to shoulder in difficult times. We have taken responsibility for the security of the North Atlantic and not least of North America. That’s what real friends do. This is precisely why the immediate and repeated rhetoric from the United States is completely and utterly unacceptable."

The Arctic island's strategic position between Europe and North America makes it a key site for the US ballistic-missile defence system, while its mineral wealth is attractive as the US hopes to reduce its reliance on Chinese exports.

Advocates are calling for the creation of a national donor conception register to help people access genetic and medical history across state borders.

This movement is gaining momentum as South Australia's existing registry successfully links hundreds of people to their biological heritage while highlighting the limitations of state-based systems.

Katherine Dawson, a donor-conceived woman who has already discovered 53 half-siblings, is spearheading the push for federal reform.

She says authorities must prioritise the long-term well-being of donor-conceived individuals by shielding them from the systemic hurdles in the current framework.

Serbian star Novak Djokovic has cut ties with the Professional Tennis Players Association, the players' union he co-founded.

Djokovic, who launched the breakaway organisation in 2021 with Canadian player Vasek Pospisil, says he has ongoing concerns over issues including the way his voice and image have been represented.

The falling out comes as a result of legal action that the PTPA launched last March against tennis' governing bodies, including the ATP, and WTA.

At the time Djokovic said he disagreed with parts of the lawsuit, which accused the organisations of anti-competitive practices and a disregard for player welfare.

The 24-time grand slam champion is set to resume his quest for a record-extending 25th grand slam singles title when he seeks an 11th Australian Open crown in Melbourne.


Share

Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Watch now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world